Fermoy News

FERMOY VOLUNTEERS DEVASTATED AS HAITI CANCELLED DUE TO CHOLERA OUTBREAK

Haven volunteers have been forced to cancel their planned trip to Haiti next week as a result of an outbreak of cholera in the country.

600 Irish volunteers, including 11 from Fermoy, were due to travel to the country next week on a volunteering trip to build houses for the poorest of the poor in Haiti. The Avondhu spoke with Conor O’Kane, following the news of the cancelled trip.

“We are so disappointed to hear the news that our trip has been delayed. Everyone was packed and ready to go. Three cases of cholera have been found within 200 metres of the building sites where we were going, so, understandably, the trip has been cancelled for now.”

Conor went on to say that €50k has been raised to date, and he wanted to make people aware that this money will still go towards sending the volunteers out to Haiti and building houses.

“It just means that we won’t be going as soon as we had intended. It will be next year now before we go so nothing has changed, just the date we travel.”

Conor, who teaches business at NUI Galway, was involved in charity work in Haiti last October. Reflecting on his brief visit there, he said it was a truly life changing experience and he was touched by the friendliness and pride of the local Haitians, despite the unbelievable poverty they lived in.

Approximately 250 people have died as a result of the outbreak, and it is estimated that over 3,000 people have contracted the infection, and are receiving treatment. Since the earthquake hit Haiti’s capital city, Port au Prince, on January 12,Haven has been working in affected areas providing emergency relief to those most in need.

Haven is an Irish non governmental, non political, non religious organisation working to build sustainable communities, through the provision of housing, and emergency relief and by implementing community development programmes in Haiti.

The NGO currently employs 10 expatriate staff members who are based across Haiti, in Port au Prince, Gonaives, and Ouanaminthe.